Regionals 28-28Oct2023 Georgetown, Cornell, RIT

We were delighted to make Regionals, having gained invitations in 2013, 2017, 2022, and we were seeded 17th (24th last year), so it meant that we would face Georgetown (20th), Cornell (5th) and RIT (8th). Sometimes we get hammered at this tournament and other times we fare well, but it’s good to play good teams and our players were excited to go!

Hosted in Stony Brook, Long Island, we left around 4pm and arrived at our hotel in Farmingville around 10pm. We investigated the ferry from Bridgeport, but that would have cost another $500 for two vans and passengers, so we went through the City - Rachel’s van stopped near her home for dinner!

We left our hotel a little after 8am Saturday for the field 22min away, checked in and warmed up. Already 20C/70F - looked like summer was back! Rachel’s dad, Bob, brought drinks and snacks, and her mom came later; we also were so happy to see Eliza’s parents, Erika’s mom, Nicole’s parents and Dartmouth t-shirt-clad pup, Maddie’s parents and Sara’s mom!! I spotted some very impressive treats after the second game on Saturday - thanks!

GK: Addie Winship

CD: Rachel Horne+Molly Knox

OD: Erika Huston+Sara Pickrell, Chloe Gern+Liv Deeley

CM: Lana Kanno+Hattie Hatton+Maddie Kim, Abby Reiner

OM: Eliza Durbin+Nathalie Maffei, Nicole Bogdanos

F: Caitlin Evers

Georgetown 

Our previous experience with Georgetown in the 2013 Regional Tournament resulted in a 2:1 win for us. This Georgetown team was rough - we suffered two concussions! 

We were on extremely short, wet grass, which made the ball move very quickly and bounce unpredictably. They put immediate high pressure on us.

After their corner and their shot wide, they snuck the ball away from us near our goal for a shot from left to right into our goal in the 5th minute. Then Addie saved their shot for a corner three minutes later and again right after that.

Eliza earned a corner taken by Liv before Addie made another save in the 21st minute. Addie caught a Georgetown corner kick before Eliza’s corner kick and Georgetown’s free kick from midfield just before the break.

Liv earned and took free kick from our third early in the second half before Addie made another save in the 44th minute. Rachel earned and took free kick from our third and a free kick from midfield before Georgetown sent a shot over our cross-bar.

Addie made another save in the 53rd minute and Chloe blocked a shot for a Georgetown corner. Then Addie made another save for a corner before they scored on a shot from left to right in the 69th minute for their second goal.

Nicole had her shot go wide and another shot saved before she earned and took a corner kick in the last minute.

Shots 2:10 Saves 6:1

3 Georgetown corner, shot wide

5 Georgetown scramble near our goalpost shot from left to right -> 0:1

8 Georgetown shot saved by Addie for a corner

9 Georgetown shot saved by Addie 

14 Eliza earned a corner taken by Liv

21 Georgetown shot saved by Addie

32 Georgetown corner kick caught by Addie

39 Eliza corner 

40 Georgetown free kick from midfield 

—————

43 Liv earned and took free kick from our third

44 Georgetown shot saved by Addie 

46 Rachel earned and took free kick from our third 

48 Rachel free kick from midfield 

52 Georgetown shot over

53 Georgetown shot saved by Addie 

54 Chloe blocked a shot for a Georgetown corner

68 Georgetown shot saved by Addie for a corner

69 Georgetown shot from left to right -> 0:2

74 Nicole shot wide, another shot saved

79 Nicole earned and took a corner kick

Cornell

After a short break for lunch, we got back to Stony Brook for our 3:30pm game with Cornell. The thermometer on the van dashboard said 85F, and we were scheduled for the turf field, which makes high temperatures seem even higher.

Our last experience with Cornell was at the Ivy Tournament hosted by Yale in April of 2022, when we beat them 1:0. They were a very vocal (noisy?) team we overheard during our first game when they played RIT.

A lucky exchange for Cornell by our goal in the 3rd minute gave them their first goal, but Sara got a good chance soon after with shot that was saved. Cornell sent a shot wide before Erika blocked a shot of theirs for a corner - Addie saved their ensuing shot.

   

Eliza had her shot go wide after Cornell’s corner; then in the 12th minute Cornell’s shot from right to lower-left gave them their second goal.

Sara earned free kick from midfield taken by Erika before Rachel earned free kick from our third. Nicole had her shot saved before Sara earned free kick in their third taken by Lana, whose shot was saved. Then Sara took a free kick from their third.

Liv had her shot saved in the 24th minute before Molly took a free kick from midfield. Addie saved three shots before Lana subbed in for her when her hip became painful after a sideways dive.

Cornell got their third goal in the 38th minute by shooting from right to upper-left of our goal. Erika took a free kick in their third, but her shot was saved just before the break.

Nicole earned a free kick from midfield early in the second half that was taken by Rachel before Rachel had her shot go wide. Cornell sent a shot over our cross-bar before scoring their fourth goal with a shot from left to lower-right off the upright in the 51st minute. They also had a free kick from midfield.

Chloe’s shot in the 56th minute went wide before Rachel earned a free kick in our third taken by Lana. Lana saved a Cornell shot before they sent two shots wide

Chloe earned a free kick in our third taken by Lana before Cornell scored from a cross from the left side for a tap-in. Sara’s free kick in their third was promising, but our header went wide. 

Shots 9:14 Saves 5:4

3 Lucky exchange by our goal -> 0:1 

5 Sara shot saved

7 Cornell shot wide

10 Erika blocked a shot for a corner, Addie save

    Cornell corner

11 Eliza shot wide

12 Cornell from right to lower-left -> 0:2

15 Sara earned free kick from midfield taken by Erika

16 Rachel earned free kick from our third

21 Nicole shot saved

22 Sara earned free kick in their third taken by Lana, shot saved

23 Sara free kick from their third

24 Liv shot saved

26 Molly free kick midfield

31 Cornell three shots saved by Addie

     Lana subbed in for Addie

38 Cornell from right to upper-left -> 0:3

40 Erika free kick in their third, shot saved

—————

42 Nicole earned a free kick from midfield taken by Rachel 

47 Rachel shot wide

50 Cornell shot over

51 Cornell shot from left to lower-right off the upright -> 0:4

53 Cornell free kick from midfield 

56 Chloe shot wide

60 Rachel earned a free kick in our third taken by Lana

66 Cornell shot saved by Lana

68 Cornell shot wide

69 Cornell shot wide

70 Chloe earned a free kick in our third taken by Lana 

71 Cornell cross from left for a tap-in -> 0:5

79 Sara free kick their third, header wide

RIT

We experienced a big drop in temperature to 50sF/10C with drizzle for our 9:30am Sunday game with RIT on a another bumpy field with very short grass that made ball-control challenging. Their uniforms showed orange and white emblazoned with “Tigers” - so Princeton are not the only Tigers.

In light of our two previous game results and being down to one sub, we could have already felt defeated, but we acted to the contrary! 

Sara sent RIT an immediate message by making the game’s first shot that went wide before Rachel took a free kick from midfield, earned and took free kick from our third and had her shot go wide. It seemed from the sidelines that we were believing in ourselves and playing better than ever!

Lana shut down an RIT attempt in the 15th minute before RIT from maybe 20m sent a high-arching shot into the upper-right corner of our goal.

Lana made a big save in the 20th minute before Nathalie had her shot saved for a corner that was taken by Sara. Eliza took two more corner kicks due to their clearances, and a few minutes later Sara’s header was saved.

RIT sent a shot over our cross-bar before Chloe blocked a shot for an RIT corner. They had another corner kick with another shot Lana saved, followed soon after by two more shots she saved. Then they sent a shot wide, took another corner kick and had another shot go wide before Nathalie earned a corner taken by Erika at the end of the half.

During the break there were many suggestions from our players about how to proceed, and we were fired up - staying very positive!

Rachel took a free kick in their third before RIT sent a shot wide. Lana made another save before Eliza cross earned and took a corner kick.

Lana made four more saves in quick succession before Nicole showed her high quality getting near their goal for a shot they saved in the 56th minute. Lana made yet another save after RIT’s corner kick.

Nicole gave us the equalizer with her shot from right to left in the 63rd minute, and she followed that up with a shot that was saved.

Lana came up with another save in the 70th minute before Sara made a shot reminiscent of her goal versus Brown last spring from the right side of the field into the upper-left corner of their goal for the game-winner.

Lana made her 13th save of the game in the last minute of the game after RIT took free kick in our third. RIT must have been shocked with that result, having out-shot us, but it was our quality, resilience and positivity that helped us get a much-deserved win!

Shots 7:20 Saves 13:2

2 Sara shot wide 

9 Rachel free kick from midfield 

11 Rachel earned and took free kick from our third 

12 Rachel shot wide

15 Lana shut down an RIT attempt

17 RIT shot upper-right -> 0:1

20 RIT shot saved by Lana 

21 Nathalie shot saved for a corner taken by Sara

     Eliza took two more corner kicks

23 Sara header saved

25 RIT shot over 

26 Chloe blocked a shot for an RIT corner

29 RIT corner, shot saved by Lana 

30 RIT two shots saved by Lana 

32 RIT shot wide, RIT corner

36 RIT shot wide

38 Nathalie earned a corner taken by Erika 

—————

46 Rachel free kick their third 

48 RIT shot wide

49 RIT shot saved by Lana 

50 Eliza cross earned and took a corner 

51 RIT two shot saved by Lana 

54 RIT two shots saved by Lana 

56 Nicole shot saved

61 RIT corner, shot saved by Lana 

63 Nicole shot from right to left -> 1:1

65 Nicole shot saved

70 RIT shot saved

76 Sara shot from right to upper-left -> 2:1

79 RIT free kick in our third, shot saved by Lana 

BU 21Oct2023

We last played BU in 2011 - before the club team League was formed. Since the League has had us in different divisions, the only time we could fit in a game with them has been after mid-October. We were delighted when they said they could come here for Homecoming! They have been in a very competitive division with BC,  Northeastern and Brown, so we expected them to be good. And we since we had just accepted the invitation to Regionals at Stoney Brook on Long Island, we thought playing BU would be good preparation.

Senior Game (!) combined with Homecoming meant - even in rainy weather - we could celebrate with parents and returning alumnae! Claire Meli ‘23 all the way from California! Caris White ‘23 from grad school in Chicago! Eliza’s parents, Abby H’s, Avery’s dad who rescued us in our need for a ref (!), Abby R’s mom, Maddie’s? - maybe others?!

The rain notwithstanding, BU wanted 40-minute halves, so we complied. With Addie nursing trouble with her hip, Lana graciously offered to be our goalkeeper. Eliza made another well-impassioned pitch for playing our best and winning.

Nathalie wasted no time in making the first shot, which was saved, before Lana saved BU’s first shot. Then Eliza, Caitlin and Hattie had shots saved before BU’s free kick in our third. After their corner kick, they wrestled the ball from us beside the left side of our goal and snuck it into the lower-left side of our goal in the 17th minute.

Both teams were under intense pressure, and we did somewhat more passes to feet than they did, but they were quick on transition and did well to get their target players up near our goal.

Caitlin had a shot go wide and had one saved; Dani did well to get forward for a shot that went wide before BU hit the x-bar. Sara had shots saved and go wide before Avery almost scored with a shot that hit the upright.

Lana made another save before Nathalie had a shot go wide. Late in the half, BU had two shots go wide.

We spoke about keeping up the good passing and high energy - to keep believing!

Lana came up with a big save for a corner in the first minute of the half. Rachel (center defender!) showed her magic dribbling skills and got close enough to shot when she saw their keeper was out, but her shot went wide in the 42nd minute.

We had long spells in the second half when it seemed that we might equalize. We did well with our passes and got close to their goal ,any times.

Caitlin had a shot saved before Hattie’s shot was saved for a corner taken by Nathalie. Rachel earned a free kick from midfield taken by Hattie before Caitlin and Nathalie had shots saved.

Sara had a shot saved for a corner taken by Eliza, who got to take a second corner kick after the first was cleared. Lana made another save for a corner, Hattie cleared a ball for a BU corner and Lana made another big save in the 43rd minute. 

Caitlin and Erika had shots saved before BU put a shot wide. Sara got close to their goal but her shot was blocked, and Nathalie’s follow-up shot went high.

Eliza took another corner kick before, Hattie’s shot went wide. We worked hard all game and out-shot them 22:11, so we had a great deal to celebrate, including a wonderful, heart-warming but rainy senior ceremony in the parking lot!

Shots 22:11 Saves 4:13

G: Lana Kanno

CD: Rachel Horne+Kelly Zreloff, Molly Knox

OD: Erika Huston+Dani Nichols, Chloe Gern+Liv Deeley

CM: Avery Jones+Abby Headstrom+Hattie Hatton, Maddie Kim+Abby Reiner

OM: Eliza Durbin+Nathalie Maffei

F: Caitlin Evers, Genevieve Schaefer, Sara Pickrell

1 Nathalie shot saved

2 BU shot saved by Lana

7 Eliza shot saved 

8 Caitlin shot saved 

10 Hattie shot saved

13 BU free kick in our third

17 BU corner kick

     BU wrestled the ball beside the left side of our goal -> 0:1

20 Caitlin shot wide 

25 Caitlin shot saved, Dani shot wide

26 BU shot hit the x-bar

27 Sara shot saved 

28 Sara shot wide

29 Avery shot hit the upright

30 BU shot saved by Lana

31 Nathalie shot wide 

34 BU shot wide

39 BU shot wide

—————

41 BU shot saved by Lana for a corner

42 Rachel (!) shot wide 

46 Caitlin shot saved 

47 Hattie shot saved for corner taken by Nathalie

48 Rachel earned a free kick from midfield taken by Hattie

53 Caitlin and Nathalie shots saved

58 Sara shot saved for a corner taken by Eliza (2)

60 BU shot saved by Lana for a corner

     Hattie cleared a ball for a BU corner

63 BU shot saved by Lana 

65 Caitlin and Erika shots saved

67 BU shot wide

70 Sara shot blocked, Nathalie shot over

76 Eliza corner, Hattie shot wide